In a truly candid interview, Meryl talks about how Rocketship HQ’s podcast enticed her to join the company, what makes her tick, and how exactly she balances her job with her role as a mom of a 2-year-old.
The work at Rocketship HQ
Q1. What are 3 words that you would use to describe yourself?
Adventurous, Patient & Creative
Q2. What drew you to RocketShip HQ originally? How has the company changed since?
The podcast. I wanted to work on different media formats and a podcast was a great opportunity to explore this, because I do think a lot of thought is going into home audio productions. Podcasts are a bit underrated now but quite likely to blow up soon.
From my experience, I’ve noticed that the company is evolving everyday. All suggestions are welcomed and discussed.
Q3. What do you like about your job?
I get to work with some extremely talented people on the team and it’s a lot of fun to exchange ideas with them.
I love that I can work whenever and wherever. As long as the team is aware of my availability and hiccups, I can function according to what suits me. This is so helpful because as a mom of a 2-year-old, my day rarely has a routine (“terrible twos” they said, “not my child” I said!).
Q4. What has been your proudest moment at RocketShip HQ?
Being on the podcast as a guest host for this year’s Women’s Day episode. I know the team probably thought I was cool as a cucumber about it, but I was so pumped to start off that fabulous episode with some amazing women leaders in the industry!
It took me just about 6-7 takes to get an audio without a quiver or an expletive. Just 6 or 7 takes!
Q5. What is a typical workday like for you?
I’m a super early riser (the 5 AM kind), so I spend those first few hours at the gym. I try to start working by 9.30 (on good days) and try to schedule my bigger tasks for the first half of the day. Post lunch, I get some quiet time to work on projects that require reflections, learnings or my undivided attention.
I take a break early in the evening to spend time with my daughter. Some days we take a walk, visit friends close by or simply prep for dinner.
I get back to smaller tasks later in the evening after dinner. I try to schedule meetings during this time.
But like I said, this happens on “good days”. Most days, I’m putting out different kinds of fires at home!
Career journey
Q6. What was a key inflection/turning point in your career?
I had a small team of my own a few years ago and we worked on branding services. It was a fulfilling experience for me, but my biggest challenge and lesson there was that I wasn’t quite good at managing people. On most days I felt I wasn’t a good leader.
We scaled down our operations once Covid hit and I told myself that if I needed a great team, I needed to learn how to handle and manage people with different personalities.
Q7. Tell us about a mentor or a person who has inspired or influenced you significantly.
One of my ex-managers, Anuroop Krishnan, was a great mentor to me. He always told me that I need to speak up for my work and use my marketing brain to brag about my personal achievements at work.
He always took care of his team and made sure to hear everyone out.
Q8. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career?
- Don’t settle, ask for more (money, food, discounts, whatever).
- It’s extremely important to take time off work and disconnect.
- It’s okay if your personal life spills into work sometimes. You can’t control it all the time.
- It’s not just the work, it’s the team that will help you grow, So, bond.
- Brag about your achievements but in a sophisticated way. (So many examples on LinkedIn!)
Behind the scenes: Who is Meryl?
Q9. Tell us about your favorite travel & food spots or experiences.
I’ve spent a month in Italy and I’m ready to do it again. There’s so much the country has to offer – food, art & music. One of my favorite experiences in Italy would be the day I spent swimming and fishing in a lake called Albano near Rome.
I also enjoyed canyoning & surfing in Sri Lanka – Kitulgala is the place for that.
I loved my hike up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. Going from India, I was quite unprepared for the icy weather there, and thinking back, I have no idea how I did it!
As far as food is concerned, I always try to do my research on local cuisines when I travel.
Q10. What do you do for fun?
I enjoy spending time outdoors, so I’m usually looking for hikes or kayaks to rent over weekends.
I’m a trained musician and I try to carve out time to play my piano. This has become impossible over the past 2 years and I’ve just been able to belt out “Baby Shark” and “You Are My Sunshine” without interruption, albeit with loads of applause.
Q11. What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
- Cliff diving in as many places as possible
- Record a song professionally
- Adopt a dog into our family
Q12. What is a fun fact about yourself that not many people might know?
I probably don’t look like it, but I’m a weight training junkie. I may or may not compete in a powerlifting competition this year.
I am also a soprano and I’ve been part of some amazing choirs that host Christmas concerts.
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Connect with Meryl on LinkedIn.
